Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday urged the national governments of India and Pakistan to simplify the procedure for obtaining permission to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib.
The Chief Minister, while interacting with the media persons after returning from Sri Kartarpur Sahib, said that this is a historic occasion as the corridor has been reopened after the pandemic. However, he said that it is the need of the hour that both the national governments of India and Pakistan should make concerted efforts for simplifying the process to enable pilgrims for obtaining permission to pay reverence at this holy shrine. CM Channi said that it would help in facilitating the pilgrims to visit this sacred shrine thereby saving their time, money and energy.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also said that the state government would soon start free buses from across the state to enable the pilgrims to pay obeisance at this sacred place. He said that these buses would ply till Corridor for facilitating the pilgrims having permission to visit Sri Kartarpur Sahib. CM Channi said that Punjab government is committed for well being of each and every strata of the state. Batting for opening of cross border trade from Punjab borders, the Chief Minister said that both the national governments of India and Pakistan should deliberate on it to commence trade and commerce through it. He said that this would be helpful in ushering a new era of unprecedented progress and prosperity in the state. CM Channi said that besides giving impetus to economic activity in the region it would also help in improving people to people contact between both the countries.
The Chief Minister also thanked the people of Pakistan and the administration for showering lots of love and affection on him and his family during their visit to Sri Kartarpur sahib. He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan for taking this historic initiative of reopening the corridor. CM Channi said that he had been urging the Prime Minister since long to reopen this corridor thereby cherishing longtime aspiration of Sikh sangat to pay reverence at this sacred shrine.
On the occasion Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Hussan Lal, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rahul Tiwari and others were also present.